Device for making up a weft



T. FRANSENV 3,384,128

DEVICE FOR MAKING UP A WEFT May 21, 1968 Filed May 16, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet l FI@ JIM ec i 126 b 2015 14' &a; 13 17 T. FRANSEN May 21, 1968 DEVICE FOR MAKING UP A WEFT 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 16, 1966 May 21, 1968 T FRANSEN 3,384,128

DEVICE FOR* MAKING UP A WEFT Filed May 16, 1966 3 Sheets-S'neet 3 United States Patent O 3,384,128 DEVICE FOR MAKING UP A WEFT Theodorus Fransen, Deurne, Netherlands, assignor to N.V. Machinefabriek L. te Strake, Dein-ne, Netherlands, a Dutch company Filed May 16, 1966, Ser. No. 550,274 Claims priority, application Nestherlands, May 18, 1965, 65- 4 5 Claims. (Ci. 139-127) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for :making up a weft to be used in connection with a loom, comprising a nozzle :for blowing a stream of air, a passage having .an outlet end adjacent the stream of air issuing from the nozzle and having an inlet end into which secondary air is drawn by the jet action of the stream of air issuing from the nozzle in order to entrain an end of .a weft thread presented -at the inlet end of the passage, and to Carry such end of the thread through the passage to a point at which such end of the thread is entrained by the stream of air issuing from the nozzle to cause a length of the weft thread to be drawn through the passage and blown into the shed, a needle mounted for movement in an axial path, to engage a weft thread and present 'it at the inlet end of the passage, a tackle member movable across the path of movement of the needle, having a thread-engaging 'device for entraining a portion of the weft thread during movement of the tackle member, `and mechanism !for moving the tackle member to entrain a portion of the thread and thereby draw such portion of the thread 'across the path of movement of the needle !into position to be engaged by the needle during subsequent axial movement of the needle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a device for making up a weft to be used in connection with a loom in which a presenting needle extends axially in a shaft to present a part of the thread, which tis temporarily stored in the shaft to the blowing device as described in the U .S. patent application Ser. No. 52.7,654 filed on Feb. 16, 1966, by Hubert P. Mullekom.

The purpose of the presenting needle is to facilitate the action of the air upon the thread at that moment when the thread is to be launched into the shed, owing to which the working speed of a loom can be increased. The presenting needle is only operative, when one part of the hairpin shaped weft is to be introduced into the shed of a loom for weaving it into the fabric.

In order to obtain a selvage a weft is to be woven into the fabric in a hairpin like manner so that the bight between the two legs of the hairpin shaped weft contri utes in forming the selvage of the fabric. In such a case firstly :a first part of the thread is to be blown into the shed, to form the first leg `'of the hairpin, which first part will be called A-thread. After the shed has changed one or more times a second part of the weft is to be blown into the shed, to form the second leg of the hairpin, which second part will be called E-thread.

The presenting needle mentioned above will intersect the path of a part of the thread within the shacft, which part will form the A-thread of the hairpin shaped weft as described in said U.S. patent application Ser. No. 527,654.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the invention is to adapt the device for making up ra weft in such a manner that the presenting needle can be used for the B-thread also when a part of 3,384,128- Patenta& May 21, 1968 "ice the thread is to be presented :as a B-thread to the blowing device, which part remains in one side of the shaft.

According to the invention this is attained in that a tackle member :is movable across the path of movement of the presentin-g needle, which tackle member during its movement catches a part of the thread within the shaft in order to place this part in front of the path of the presenting needle.

Preferably the tackle member is movable within a passage between the shaft and the blowing device.

A practical embodiment according to the invention is attained in that the tackle member projects through an opening in the wall of the passage between the shaft and the blowing device which opening is positioned opposite to a suction opening for the thread and in that the tackle member at tits 'free end tis provided with a hook for the thread which hook can pass 'a hook shaped notch in the wall ot the shaft during the movement of the tackle member.

A part of the thread is to be brought in front of the presenting needle by means of the hook shaped part of the tackle member and the thread will enter the hook shaped notch and will be tcns-ioned in front of the point of the presenting needle. The tackle member turns around its aXis during its movement in front of the presenting needle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be described by means of an embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of 'a blowing device having a shaft connected thereto for making up wefts.

FIGS. 2-4 are diagrammatic plan views of a device according to FIG. l showing the successive steps of making up a weft.

FIGS. 5-9 are diagrammatic perspective views showing the operation of the tackle device.

FIG. 10 is a transve-rse section, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 10-10 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a loom provided with a device for making up a weft according to the invention.

A device for making up a weft is provided with a blowing device 1 for introducing a weft into the shed by jet action, to which blowing device 1 a shaft 2 is connected for sucking up a measured length of a thread in the shape of a loop as described in the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 527,654.

The blowing device 1 is provided with an annular nozzle 3 through which air under pressure from a supply line 4 can flow. The supply of air is controlled by a valve which is located in a valve housing 4a, and which connects the supply line 4- to the compressed air supply, 'and which is actuated at the proper times by a cam 417 fixed on a control shaft 26. The cam 41 causes the blowing device 1 to dischar ge a blast of air at certain stages in the operation of the apparatus as hereinafte-r described. The annular nozzle surrounds a central passage 5 for secondary air. The annular nozzle 3 and the passage 5 debouch into a mixing tube 6, which is preferably provided with a slot 7 for a purpose hereinafter described.

The shaft is provided With a fiat cleft like internal space 8 provided with widened edges 9a and 912. The flat internal space 8 with its edges 9a and 91), debouches into a passage 10 connected to the passage 5 for secondary air. The upper wall of the passage 10 is shown broken away in FIG. 1. A suction opening 11 for the thread is positioned laterally of the shaft 2 which opening is partly visible in FIG. 1. FIG. 11 shows the shaft 2 in its entirety. The lower portion of the shaft 2 is arranged in a vertical position to conserve space, and is Secured to the side plate 2d of the frame of a conventional pneumatic loom.

The upper portion of the shaft 2, which is shown in FIG. l, extends horizontally.

The Construction and operation of the shaft 2 are conventional, and are described in U.S. Patcnt No. 3,024,814. As described in that patent, the internal space 8 of the shaft 2, at the end of the shaft remote from the blowing device 1, is connected to a suction line 217, a part of which is shown in FIG. 11. The suction line 21) is controlled by a valve which is located in the valve housing 4:1 and which can be opened and closed at the proper times by a cam 20 fixed on the control shaft 26.

As shown in FIG. 11, the thread which is continuously drawn from a thread package 27 by rollers 28 and 29, passes above the first roller 28 and under the second roller 29 and then passes into an auxiliary shaft 2a. As shown in FIG. 11, the thread passes from the auxiliary shaft Za into the shaft 2 and then into the blowing device 1. These elements through which the thread passes are conventional in a pneumatic loom, and the operation of these elements, which is described in detail in U.S. Patents Nos. 3,024,8l4 and 3,l37,322 may be summarized as follows:

At the beginning of the operation illustrated in FIG. 2, the leading end of the thread is clamped in a cutting and holding device 13, which corresponds to the cutting and holding device that is designated with the reference numeral 22 in U.S. Patent No. 3,137,322. FIG. 2 illustrates the first operation in the cycle, in which a pushing rod 12 is moved in the direction of the arrow to engage the thread and to push a loop of the thread through the opening 11. In this way a portion of the thread running from the auxiliary shaft 2a to the cutting and holding device 13 is introduced through the suction opening 11 in front of the mouth of the shaft 2 by means of the pushing rod 12. This situation is shown in FIG. 2. The end of the thread which consequently runs in front of the pushing rod 12 remains clamped in the cutting and holding device 13 Situated near the opening 11 of the shaft.

As described in application Ser. No. 506,047, filed on Nov. 2, 1965, by Lambertus te Strake, the pushing rod 12 is reciprocated by a lever 12a which s pivoted upon the lower side of a frame member 30 shown in FIG. 11. One end of the lever 12a bears upon a cam 12b fixed on the control shaft 26, and the other end of the lever 12a has a vertically extending portion that drives the pushing rod 12. The connection between the lever 1261 and the pushing rod 12 may be similar to the connection between the lever 21 and the tackle member 17, hereinafter described.

FIG. 2 shows the pushing rod 12 at an intermediate point in its forward stroke. At this intermediate point in its stroke, the pushing rod 12 has penetrated approximately half way across the shaft 2 as shown in FIG. 2. At the end of the forward stroke of the pushing rod 12, the thread carried by the pushing rod is in position to be drawn into the shaft 2, and suction is app-lied to the remote end of the shaft 2 through the suction line 2b, causing a loop of the thread to be drawn into the shaft 2 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3 of U.S. Patent No. 3,024,814.

As the suction applied to the shaft 2 draws a loop of thread into the shaft, thread travels from the auxiliary shaft 2a into the shaft 2 to form a loop in the shaft 2. At the same time, the suction applied to the shaft 2 maintains tension in the portion of the thread which stretches from the cutting and holding device 13 to the notch in the end of the pushing rod 12. That portion of the thread remains under tension as the pushing rod 12 is retracted out of the shaft 2, and the leg of the loop of thread which extends into the edge portion 9a of the shaft is under tension also. Thus as the pushing rod 12 begins its backward movement out of the shaft 2, the thread is stretched from the cutting and holding device 13 to the notched end of the pushing rod 12,

4 and the tension of the suction acting upon the leg of thread in the edge portion pulls on the thread that extends through the notch in the end of the pushing rod 12.

Accordngly, as the pushing rod 12 begins its backward movement, the notch in the end of the pushing rod 12, and more specifically the apex 12c of that notch, is the point of departure of the leg of thread which extends into the edge portion 9a. Then as the pushing rod 12 begins its rearward movement, the leg of thread which extends into the edge portion 9a is drawn past the corner 90 in FIG. 10 and begins to travel along the surface 8a until this leg of the thread snaps into the notch 14. The pushing rod 12 then continues its backward movement out of the shaft 2, but the leg of the thread that extends into the edge portion 9a remains caught in the notch 14, so that the thread is then stretched from the cutting and holding device 13 to the notch 14, and this stretched portion of the thread extends across the end of a bore 15 in which a presenting needle 16 is slidable. During the rearward movement of the pushing rod 12 the air that is sucked into the interior of the shaft 2 by the suction line 2b draws an A-thread in the shape of a loop into the shaft 2 and that part of the thread, which runs from the loop within the shaft to the cuttng and holding device 13 passes through the hook shaped notch 14 Situated in the upper wall of the shaft and is tensioned in front of the bore 15 in which the presenting needle 16 is slidable.

As shown in FIG. 11, the shaft 2 is substantially larger than the auxiilary shaft Za. Thus as the loop of A-thread begins to form in the shaft 2, the loop of thread that has been stored in the auxiliary shaft Za is drawn entirely out of the auxiliary shaft. The formation of the loop of A-thread in the shaft 2 is then completed by thread drawn directly from the rollers 28 and 29. A conventional thread clamp 31, which also serves as a thread guide, as described in U.S. Patent No. 3,137,322, is provided for engaging the thread at the point where the thread leaves the auxiliary shaft Za. As explained in that patent, the operation of the clamp 31 must `be timed in accordance with the speed at which the thread is supplied by the rollers 28 and 29 so that the clamp 31 closes at the instant when the proper length of thread has passed the clamp 31, so that after the clamp 31 closes the thread extending from the clamp 31 to the cutting and holding device 13, including the loop of thread in the shaft 2, is of the proper length to form the A-thread.

Each interval during which the clamp 31 is closed is a relatively brief interval, and during each such interval the suction applied to the auxiliary shaft 2a draws a loop of thread into the auxiliary shaft in order to take up the slack in the thread which is continually being advanced by the rollers 28 and 29.

The Construction and operation of the presenting needle 16 are described in detail in said application Ser. No. 527,654.

FIG. 3 illustrates the next stage of the operation, as the presenting needle 16 is beginning to move in the direction of the arrow. At the stage shown in FIG. 3, the thread clamp 31 has closed and the auxiliary shaft Za is beginning to take up the slack in the thread supply. The A-thread extends from the thread clamp 31 into the shaft 2 in the form of a loop. FIG. 3 shows that the thread bends at 14a, where it passes through the notch 14.

When now the presenting needle 16 moves in a direc tion which is indicated by an arrow the part of the thread which is stretched from the notch 14 to the cutting and holding device 13, and extends in front of the bore 15, is engaged by the front end of the needle 16 and thus is introduced into the blowing device 1 especially into the passage 5 as shown in FIG. 3. At this moment the clamping action of the cutting and holding device 13 is released so as to set free the end of the A-thread, and the cam 4b opens the valve in the housing 4a so as to admit compressed air to the line 4 to render the blowing device 1 operative. The cam 20 closes the valve to cut ofi the suction from the line 217 as soon as the clamp 31 closes and before the cam 4b opens the valve to supply compressed air to the pressure line 4.

The released end of the A-thread is now blown into the shed and pulls the loop out of the shaft 2. During this operation the released end of the A-thread is entrained in the stream of air issuing from the annular nozzle 3 and is extended into the shed, pulling after it the thread which has been stored in the shaft 2, until the movement of the A-thread is arrested by the clamp 31. When so arrested, the A-thread is just long enough to reach to the opposite edge of the fabric. Owing to the beating stroke of the reed of the loom, which follows this blowing operation, the A-thread is bound in the fabric whereas a remaining part of the thread outside the fabric runs through the slot 7 and the blowing device to the auxiliary shaft Za as shown in FIG. 4.

The supply of compress ed air to the blowing device 1 is then shut off, the thread clamp 31 is opened, and suction is applied to the shaft 2 in order that a new loop of the thread, to form the B-thread, may be sucked into the shaft. The powerful suction applied to the shaft 2 draws air into the shaft through the opening 11 and through the passage 5, so as to -pull on the thread, thus drawing thread out of the auxiliary shaft Za and drawing a new loop of thread into the shaft 2. In this way, the thread is first drawn completely out of the auxiliary shaft 2:1, and then thread is drawn directly from the rollers 28 and 29 into the shaft 2 until the clamp 31 closes at the instant when the proper amount of thread has passed that clamp. At this instant the length of thread which extends from the clamp 31 to the edge of the fabric is of the proper length to form the B-thread, and the shaft 2 holds a new loop of this B-thread as illustrated in FIG. 5. This new loop is a measured length of the B-thread of the weft. The operation of drawing a loop of the B-thread into the shaft is illustrated in FIG. 2 of U.S. Patent No. 3,137,322.

The Operations thus far described form no part of the present invention, but are old and conventional and are described in the patents and patent applications hereinbefore mentioned. These Operations have been described in order to disclose the manner in which the present apparatus operates through a complete cycle for ntroducng a single hairpin-shaped weft thread into the fabric. That part of the B-thread which runs from the edge portion 9b of the shaft in FIG. through the opening 11 is to be firstly blown into the shed and consequently it is to be presented firstly to the blowing device 1. For this purpose, in accordance With the present invention, a tackle member 17 cooperates with the presenting needle 16. At its end the tackle member is provided with a hook 18.

At this stage the operation of drawing a loop of the B-thread into the shaft 2, as illustrated in FIG. 11, -has been completed, and the B-thread lies in the shaft 2 as illustrated in FIG. 5. One leg of the loop of thread in the shaft 2 extends from the edge portion 9a of the shaft into the woven fabric, and the other leg of the loop of B-thread extends from the edge portion 9b of the shaft through the opening 11. At this stage the tackle member 17 is in its starting position as illustrated in FIG. 5. The tackle member 17 projects through an opening 19 in the wall of the passage 10. In its starting position the tackle member projects so far into the interior that the hook 18 reaches behind that part of the thread, which runs from the edge portion 917 of the shaft through the opening 11 as indicated in FIG. 5. When the tackle member 17 moves from its starting position shown in FIG. S the tackle member turns around its axis in such a manner that the hook 18 catches the thread as shown in FIG. 6. That part of the thread which extends from the edge portion 9b of the shaft 2 to the suction opening 11 will be displaced upward by the twisting movement of the tackle member. Further this part of the thread, as the tackle member 17 moves toward the position shown in FIG. 7, will first be pulled past the corner 9d (FIG. 10) and then along the surface 8b until the thread snaps in to the hook shaped notch 20 in the upper wall of the shaft 2. As the tackle member 17 moves toward the position shown in FIG. 7, it will continue to pull the thread out of the edge portion 9b of the shaft, through the notch 20, and the portion of the thread which extends under tension from the notch 20 to the hook 18, as shown in FIG. 7, will be stretched in front of the bore 15 in which the presenting needle is guided. While the portion of the thread which is stretched in front of the bore 15 runs to the lower side of the hook 18, the remaining terminal portion of the thread extends under tension from the upper side of the hook 18 to the cutting and holding device 13 and thus extends at a higher level and is out of the path of the presenting needle 16. Accordingly, when the presenting needle 16 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. l, the needle 16 will engage the part of the thread that runs from the notch 20 to the hook 18, but will pass below the part of the thread that runs from the hook 18 to the cutting and holding device 13 and thus extends at a higher level to facilitate the engagement of the thread by the presenting needle 16, as shown in FIG. 8, the presenting needle 16 has in its front end a notch that is similar to the notch in the front end of the pushing rod 12.

While the tackle member 17 and the presenting needle 16 are being operated in the manner shown in FIGS. 5-8, the cutting and holding device 13 also is operated to sever the B-thread from the thread supply. The cutting and holding device 13 is a conveutional device of the type described in U.S. Patent No. 3,l37,322. As shown in FIG. 3 of that patent, the operation of such a cutting and holding device leaves the severed end of the B-thread free, while the cut end of the thread supply remains clamped in the cutting and holding device.

During the stages of the operation illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the B-thread is being severed from the thread supply by the cutting and holding device, and during these stages the thread is being engaged by the cutting and holding device 13 and therefore extends under tension from the cutting and holding device to the hook 18. At the stage illustrated in FIG. 8, the end of the B-thread has just been severed from the thread supply. FIG. 9 indicates that the severed end of the B-thread is now free.

FIG. 9 also shows that the presenting needle 16, in its further movement, has pulled the thread ofi the hook 18, so that the thread now extends from the notched front end of the needle 16 directly back to the edge portion 9b of the shaft.

The manner in which the presenting needle 16 presents this part of the B-thread to the blowing device is shown in the FIGURES 7, 8 and 9. Further the blowing device becomes operative at the stage illustrated in FIG. 9 and the presented part of the B-thread is entrained by the secondary air which is drawn into the passage 5 by the jet action of the air blast issuing from the annular nozzle 3. Then as the thread is entrained by the stream of air flowing through the mixing tube 6, the severed free end of the B-thread is extended into the shed, pulling behind it the thread which extends into the edge portion 9b of the slot. During this blowing operation, the remainder of the B-thread trails behind the severed free end of the thread so that the entire B-thread is blown from the shaft into the shed, to complete the insertion of the A- and B-threads in their hairpin formation in the fabric.

The presenting needle 16 can be used now not only for the A-thread, as shown in FIG. 3 but also for the B- thread, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

The tackle member 17, which is in the form of a round rod that is rotatably and slidably mounted as indicated in FIG. 10, can be driven by any suitable mechanism e.g. by a lever 21, the end of which extends between two discs 22 fixed on the tackle member 17. The tackle member 17 is provided with a projection 23 which penetrates in a guide 24. The guide 24 is provided with a deviated part 25 to turn the tackle member 17 around its aXis at the end of its stroke in the guide 24. The lever 21 is driven by a cam 21a fixed on a control shaft 26 as indicated in FIG. 11 showing the arrangement of the device for making up a weft situated in a left frame casing of a loom. A similar device for making up a weft is situated in the right frame casing of the loom from which its blowing device 1 is visible.

What I claim is:

1. A device for making up a weft to be used in connection with a loom, comprising a nozzle for blowing a stream of air, a passage having an outlet end adjacent the stream of air issuing from the nozzle and having an inlet end into which secondary air is drawn by the jet action of the stream of air issuing from the nozzle in order to entrain an end of a weft thread presented at the inlet end of the passage, and to carry such end of the thread through the passage to a point at which such end of the thread is entrained by the stream of air issuing from the nozzle to cause a length of the weft thread to be drawn through the assage and blown into the shed, and a needle mounted for movement in an axial path, to engage a weft thread and present it at the inlet end of the passage, wherein the improvement comprises a tackle member movable across the path of movement of the needle, having a. thread-engaging device for entraining a portion of the weft thread during movement of the tackle member, and mechanism for moving the tackle member to entrain said portion of the thread and thereby draw such portion of the thread across the path of movement of the needle into position to be engaged by the needle during subsequent axial movement of the needle.

2. A device for making up a weft according to claim 1, comprising a shaft which extends from a point adjacent the inlet end of the passage and is adapted to take up a measured length of the weft thread in the form of a loop, the tackle member being movable in a path between the shaft and the inlet end of the passage.

3. A device for making up a weft according to claim 2, wherein the passage forms an extension of the shaft, has a lateral opening for introduction of the thread, and has a second lateral opening, opposite to the first opening, through which the tackle member is movable.

4. A device for making up a weft according to claim 2, wherein the thread-engaging device of the tackle member is in the form of a hook on the end of the tackle member, and the end of the shaft adjacent the path of movement of the tackle member has a hook shaped notch into which the thread is drawn by the tackle member.

5. A device for making up a weft according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism for moving the tackle member comprises apparatus for turning the tackle member during its movement.

No references cited.

HENRY S. JAUDON, Pr'mary Exam'er. 

